Talk about a cold case
by tafkap
Summary: Lanie wonders what has put Kate in such a bad mood. Maybe the events of the previous evening have something to do with it..
1. Chapter 1

**Thank you so very much to shannoncharliie for all the Beta Reading, ideas and Castle-isms! The fic wouldn't be here without you!**

**This was mainly shannoncharliie's idea which I brought to life, I have an idea of where it's going but not entirely. I was initially going to post the first section as the first chapter but as it was far too short I now have to write more chapters! I hope you enjoy it, I definitely enjoyed writing it!**

**Disclaimer: as expected I own nothing.**

"Talk about a cold case."

"Castle!"

_There seemed to be something odd about Kate's reply to their regular banter. No lecture about crime scene etiquette._ _No witty retort, she seemed to just cut him off at the first hurdle and he didn't even fight it.__ Maybe it was just__ the surprising lack of coffee, the Detective was rarely seen in the morning without her author-supplied caffeine fix. _

"COD anytime soon?"

_She was snappy too, now this wasn't just down to Kate's caffeine levels. Something else was up._

"We won't be able to tell until we get her back to the morgue. These abrasions aren't enough to be the cause but she definitely took a beating. Who found her anyway? The snow must have covered her by at least an inch." Distracted by her dead woman's fingernails Lanie didn't get the chance to further analyse her friend.

"Someone's dog did. Early this morning." Kate said showing signs of being rather distracted. "Where's Castle got to now?" Looking round, an unconscious smile springing to her face when she saw him helping to push a snowball inversely proportional to the children rolling it. "Castle!" She hollered, distracting him from his task only enough to turn his head in the Detectives direction. "Come on! We gotta' get another coffee!"

_When did they get time to have a first coffee? _Lanie mused as she packed up the body and drove back to autopsy.

- 7 hours earlier -

The murder board started neat and lifeless. It was getting late, Beckett could tell Ryan wanted to get home to Jenny and Esposito to Lanie, so she sent them home. Detective Beckett and Richard Castle were now alone in the precinct and planned their next assault at the decidedly dull case. As Rick made his famous coffee he watched Katherine as she unconsciously fiddled with the board, moving a suspects picture closer to another, writing a new post-it, redrawing a line.

The machine bubbled away and he was lost in his thoughts, he knew it would never work. He just couldn't help but wonder...

Rick bought the coffees through, and gave one to his detective, now resting against the desk, studying the case file which was pressed to her abdomen.

As they sipped their coffee, inspiration struck them simultaneously. The board was alive with fresh perspectives, new leads and ultimately, what they'd wanted. A murderer.

Calling it a day, they rode the lift in contented silence. Beckett took a left and turned off the lights for the entire building (they were often the last to leave, even the janitors had earlier nights than them) whilst Castle opened the door into the bitterly cold midnight air.

"Beeeeeeecks!" the familiar cry sounded more worried than usual.

"What IS it Castle? Afraid of the dark?" he could hear the smirk in her voice and she rounded the corner to be met with the sight of 4 foot snow tumbling around her favourite - and also coldest - consultant. His awkward smile made her heart melt and a laugh shook her shoulders violently.

After ineffectually shovelling snow for the best part of an hour there was a unanimous decision to stay the night. Leaving the lights off they rode the lift up, this silence was anything but contented.

They both knew the only comfortable sleeping apparatus was the couch in the break room.

The silence was broken by both.

"You can have the couch."

"No, I insist. It's only fair." Castles chivalrous comment surprised Kate such that she stared open mouthed at her consultant. She'd expected a childish 'dibbs' or back complaint, rendering her on the floor for the night.

"Thank you Rick." Her voice portraying her surprise as the right side of her mouth curled to a smile. Now on their way to the break room she couldn't hold back a yawn, which Richard had to stifle a reply to.

The blanket on the back of the couch was donated to Rick, who shuffled uncomfortably and folded his jacket as a makeshift pillow. Kate spread out on the luxury of the cold leather couch, her top riding just a little too far up. Making Castle hitch a breath.

"Night Castle."

"Night Beckett."

The darkness was enough to eliminate any thought of the rest of the precinct, but not enough to stop Richard see Kate fight the shivers that were clearly affecting her. Curling to a foetus she looked so small and helpless.

"Have the blanket Kate, you look freezing."

"I couldn't. I've already sentenced you to weeks of back pain, I don't want to add hypothermia to the mix." Her voice was determined even through the very tempting offer.

"Come on. I can't see you like this!" Rick moved the few metres to the couch and pulled the blanket over the small Detective.

"But you can't sleep on the floor, with nothing at all. Come'ere." She mumbled and moved closer to the back of the couch, tugged on his arm and pulled him feebly alongside her. The blanket was already warm and along with Rick's body heat Beckett was quickly an amiable temperature. The two of them managed to lay comfortably, only arms touching. Not as intimate as they'd have liked, but as intimate as Beckett's wall would allow. They stared into the black abyss above them, there was nothing to say. There was nothing funny about this.

As much as they might have ached for each other, they nodded off easily. Each time either of them woke up, and found themselves closer to the other, they merely fell asleep again. Not quite having the heart to wake the other, and move themselves to more respectable positions. Or at least that's what they told themselves.


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright guys.. here's the second chapter! I was rather worried about my Esposito/Ryan dialogue but shannoncharliie has hopefully righted all the wrongs involved there. All those desperately in need of M rated Caskett I can feel a rather filthy chapter coming soon so keep reading.**

"How far do you think they got with the case last night?"

"I'unno, probably solved it. Knowing them."

"Yeah, when they get an idea it's like we're not even there."

"That and Beckett's practically married to the job."

"Practically? I attended the ceremony bro!"

"In fact, I bet she got here earlier than us as well." He checks his watch to see the time at exactly 7am, he should be in bed. Jenny had still been sound asleep when he left her.

"Nar, she'll have stayed up half the night, solved the case, and overslept. She won't be in until.. what.. 8:30?"

"No way. She'll have gotten here at about 5:30 to chase up another lead. I'd put money on it."

"Alright, you're on. Will a twenty do it?"

"Twenty it is." The two men shake hands just as the lift pings them to their floor.

"May the best man win Irish." Esposito, declared as they left the lift.

"Bro, get us a coffee, I'll grab the file and we'll go over it in the break room." Said Esposito veering to the left. Ryan headed for the break room, worried that he hadn't yet seen Beckett.

He was not prepared for what met his eyes. His boss, Detective Katherine Beckett, and the bane of her life, Richard Castle. Together. Not, like together-together, but, quite literally. Together. Kate had one leg under the author, the other wrapped tightly around his left thigh. Her arms pulled close around his waist and her head resting on his chest. Since his legs were, otherwise engaged, Castle used his right hand to caress her hair and his left, placed firmly at her hip.

"Shhhhh" Rick whispered "She's gonna' be livid when she wakes up." He shifted the blanket-cum-cushion behind his head, tousled his hair a little, then turned his attentions back to Becketts perfect curls.

Stunned to silence Ryan had little to say until Esposito came round with the file

"Told ya' they solved it br- ooowh." Similarly stunned, and all thoughts of the case now gone "You do know she's gonna' kill you?"

"I've been thinking of the best way to wake her." Castle's voice was soft, so as to not wake his detective.

"There ain't no best way man. You better hide her gun."

"Alright guys leave me to it, this ain't gonna' be any easier if she knows you've seen us." The two juniors reluctantly left, keeping a not-so-subtle eye on proceedings from their respective desks. Castle bend his head and took in a deep breath of that ever so familiar cherry scent, readying himself to wake her. He gently shook Beckett's shoulder. He would miss how unconsciously intimate his detective had been, and was dreading her reaction.

"Whuuur?" Beckett begin to stir, and in doing so, leant even further into her consultant, bringing her hand to her face, scraping it across his chest in the process. Rubbing her eyes she finally took in her surroundings.

"CASTLE!" her shrill cry was heard by all in the building and elicited much laughter from the two at their desks. Pushing the large man - clean off the couch - she didn't even wait for the muted thud to fly out the door. Skidding to a halt a meter out of the door, she looked down to see a distinct lack of shoes, after a quick glance at the man she just assaulted she thought better of trying to retrieve them and hurried to the precincts changing rooms.

On returning to her desk ten minutes later she found the two thirds of her team who were present sniggering beyond belief. She had certainly gotten some confused looks walking to the ladies a foot shorter than usual. Fortunate enough to have found an empty changing room she had yet to explain the events of the night before.

"You and Castle looked comfy." Ryan dared to mutter from his, suddenly very interesting, case file.

Beckett provided no response to her junior, still confused herself as to what happened. There was one thing she knew, she still smelt of his cologne, and she liked it.

"If it makes you feel any better I lost a twen'y over this." Esposito's comment was barely detected as Beckett had just seen the steaming cup of coffee on her desk, the familiar smell meant it could only have been made by you-know-who: Mr. Richard Edgar Castle. Pinned neatly under it was a piece of office stationary with 'Clearly not a mornings person..' written in black sharpie.


End file.
